Lenny Kravitz on Why 'People Are Blown Away' by the Bahamas

The Bahamas has a new ambassador — though many people might not associate him with the Bahamas at all.

But let's be clear. Lenny Kravitz — archetypal, leather-pants-wearing, immensely influential rock star — is a through-and-through Bahamian. And at least in the Bahamas, everyone knows it. His mother, actor Roxie Roker, was first-generation Bahamian-American, and he has spent his recent years living on the archipelago — on a plot of land he bought back in 1989, on the skinny, 112-mile-long island of Eleuthera.

Kravitz recently made a stateside appearance to announce his partnership with Bahamas tourism on their latest marketing campaign, speaking on a panel with Minister of Tourism Dionisio D'Aguilar and Ministry Director General Joy Jibrilu. "It’s an honor, after all these years," he told them, "after being raised as a proud Bahamian by my mother, my grandfather, my cousins — it’s an honor to be here representing my country."

After the the event, Travel + Leisure was able to sit down with Kravitz for an exclusive interview. Read on for more of the star's thoughts on his island home.